Please note that the deadline for booking hotel rooms at preferential meeting rates is next Friday, Nov. 8. Hotel reservations are accessible via the online press registration site. It is not required to wait for press registration approval before booking a hotel room, nor is it required to book a hotel room when registering to attend the meeting. Important: Please be sure to book your hotel through the press registration site to ease your registration process.

Note: AGU will not be offering shuttle service to/from the Moscone Center.

2. Virtual Press Room and PIO Uploader - coming soon

For journalists: Journalists covering the Fall Meeting can find many resources online in the Virtual Press Room. Press releases, press conference materials (including PowerPoint presentations, images, videos, scientific papers, and more, as available), and video recordings of press conferences are added to the Virtual Press Room during the meeting for easy online access.

The Virtual Press Room will launch in the Media Center of the Fall Meeting website in mid-November. Details about the Virtual Press Room and information about press conference web streaming will follow in a later advisory.

For public information officers: PIOs can share press releases online in the Virtual Press Room by directly uploading press releases and other supplemental materials to the site. PIOs must register for access to the Virtual Press Room. Instructions on how to register and access the uploader will be included in a future advisory. For more information, e-mail news@agu.org.

The ceremony will take place in the Press Conference Room, Moscone West, Room 3000, Level 3, from 5:00 - 5:30 p.m. on Thurs. Dec. 12. A reception will follow across the hall in the Press Room.

4. Northern California Science Writers Association (NCSWA) dinner

[The following notice is provided on behalf of the Northern California Science Writers Association about their holiday dinner]

AGU press are heartily invited to join Bay Area science writers for NCSWA's annual holiday dinner. This year, science journalist Alex Witze will discuss her new book "Island on Fire", written with her husband Jeff Kanipe. "Island on Fire" describes the extraordinary 18th century eruption of Laki, a toxic and explosive Icelandic volcano that darkened Europe and killed thousands of people. Witze, a Boulder-based journalist and contributor to both Science News and Nature, will discuss her research for the book and show images from her travels on Iceland. She'll also talk about the chances that Laki could erupt again. For a sneak preview, see her blog post: http://alexandrawitze.wordpress.com/2013/06/07/laki-the-forgotten-volcano/

The NCSWA holiday dinner will be held at 6 p.m. on Wed. Dec. 11 at Buca di Beppo Italian restaurant, 855 Howard St. (adjacent to the Moscone Center). Registration details will soon be available at: http://www.ncswa.org.

5. Fall Meeting App

The 2013 AGU Fall Meeting App will be available for download soon. The app allows you to browse the scientific program, plan and sync your schedule between devices, receive event alerts, and stay connected on Twitter. Meeting attendees will benefit this year from an improved mobile app that will integrate with the scientific program content and individual schedules created in the Itinerary Planner. The mobile app will offer robust searches for presentations and events, and individual schedules can be synced to Google Calendar and iCal.

6. Press registration information

To register as press and to check eligibility requirements, please see the online press registration page. Members of the news media are encouraged to preregister online to expedite the process of receiving your badges.

Press badges provide complimentary access to any of the meeting's scientific sessions, as well as to the Press Room, Press Conference Room and Quiet Rooms. No one will be admitted without a valid badge.

Eligible members of the press may also register on-site at the meeting. The on-site registration location, badge pick-up location, and Press Room, Press Conference Room and Quiet Room locations will be included in a future advisory.

7. Who's coming

Check here for an online Who's Coming list of journalists and press officers who have preregistered for the meeting. This list gets updated regularly.

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Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.